It’s fair to say that Osaka is not quite as famous for sake as neighbouring Kyoto and Kobe, but there’s still plenty of good sake to be found! Within Osaka city, there are many great sake bars and izakayas you can visit, but if you’re looking for sake breweries, you’ll have to venture outside of the city. Here are some places worth checking out.
Daimon Brewery
Daimon Sake Brewery was founded in 1826 at the base of the Ikoma mountain range in Osaka prefecture. The brewery uses high-quality rice and pure water from the surrounding area, and makes all of its sake with long, low-temperature fermentation. Its location between Kyoto and Osaka makes it an ideal place to visit from either of those cities. The brewery provides tours in English (including a meal) three days a week. Information regarding reservations can be found on the brewery’s website.
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm, closed weekends
Address: 3 Chome-12-1 Moriminami, Katano, Osaka 576-0031
Kotobuki Brewing
Kotobuki Brewing, also known as Kuninocho, was founded in 1822 in Takatsuki, Osaka. This area, formerly known as Settsu-Tonda, was a renowned sake-brewing region and was referred to in those times as the ‘country of brewing’. The name Kuninocho, which the brewery has used since then, means ‘leader of the country (of brewing)’. In 1995, Kuninocho became the first craft beer brewery in Osaka, and now produces shochu as well. At time of writing, they do not offer brewery tours, however they do have a tap room where you can try their sake and also their beer.
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am to 5pm, Sat 11am to 6pm
Address: 3 Chome-26-12, Tondacho, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-0814
Kitashouji Sake Brewery
Kitashouji brewery is located in Izumisano City, near Kansai Airport, and was founded in 1921. The fourth-generation owner of the brewery has a passion for motorbikes, and has converted part of the brewery into a “rider’s cafe” – a cafe for motorbike riders and cyclists, although people visiting on foot or by car are also welcome. This cafe (open on weekends only) is also one of the few places where you can eat Yamadanishiki sake rice. Yamadanishiki is known as the king of sake rice and is often used to make sake, but is rarely served in restaurants. A sake tasting flight is also available at the cafe. Brewery tours are also available for groups of 5-20 people.
Hours: Weekends 10am to 4pm, closed on weekdays
Address: 3173 Hineno, Izumisano, Osaka 598-0021
Naniwa Masamune
Naniwa Masamune was established in 1716, and has been making sake for 300 years using underground water from the Izumi mountain range. The brewery prides itself on its hand-made sake, and they place an emphasis on human experience and judgement rather than the use of machines in the brewing process. Tours are available on one Sunday each month.
Hours: Weekdays 10am to 5pm, Weekends 10am to 4pm
Address: 3 Chome-13-6 Ozakicho, Hannan, Osaka 599-0201
When Visiting Fushimi Kyoto, Don’t Miss Our Sake Tasting Tour!
When visiting Kyoto, you can’t miss a sake tour of Fushimi – so why not join us on a hunt for the area’s best sake, and best combination with food pairing session and find your favourite along the way?
Visiting a bar or sake shop and don’t know which sake to buy or taste? Join our Sake Tasting and Pairing Experience!
In this experience, you will learn all the basics about sake and be able to compare different types of sake to find the differences and get to discover how to truly enjoy sake. Joining our sake tasting tour is surely a great introduction to your sake experience. Discover Japan’s real sake & food culture and traditions!
Name： Greg
Qualifications： Sommelier of Sake, JWRC Whisky Expert
About me：
I’m Japanese-Australian, born and raised in Melbourne, but I’ve been living in Kyoto since 2012. Strangely enough, despite spending my formative drinking years in Melbourne, sake was actually the first type of alcohol I ever liked. Now, an unspecified number of years later, I’m really pleased that I’m able to introduce sake to people from all around the world!
